Tag: Repair

3 Things to Check After Potential Storm Damage

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3 Things to Check After Potential Storm DamageWhile the majority of weather in Plano and North Dallas consists of high winds or mild and brief rainfall, our homes do get buffeted with intense rainfall, driving winds, tornado-weather, and hailstorms from time to time.  Of course, we can’t stop weather from coming our way, but we can take steps to prevent initial damage and then repair our homes after a ravaging storm walks through the city.  Let’s take a moment to step through what you can do to check your home for damage after a storm and how you can prevent future damage.  Remember that it’s always a good idea to call your insurance company after a storm to have a complete inspection of any damage since many damages are not obvious at first.

Roof Damage

A close up view of shingle and flashing damage.
A close up view of shingle and flashing damage.

During a rainstorm, keep an eye on the ceiling and walls for since of water dripping through.  Be sure to look through your attic during or just after the storm for wet spots in case a leak formed during the storm as well.  Once the storm is over, you’ll want to step outside and perform a visual inspection of your roof, either by climbing up to look at it or using binoculars from the ground.  Look for:

  • Missing shingles
  • Broken or cracked shingles
  • Granules and fragments collecting in gutters
  • Dented vents, gutters, and flashing
  • Large branches on home

Siding Damage

While the roof of your home often takes the brunt of the damage from a storm, driving rain and high winds can whip around objects and deliver lasting damage to the side of your home.  Likewise, pooling water can dam up against the side of your home and begin leaking into the foundation.  Always give your home  full walk-around and look for common signs of exterior damage such as:

  • Dings and dents in siding
  • Cracks or splitting
  • Holes and clear breaks
  • Chipping, peeling, or discolored paint

Window Damage

While north Texas faces high winds often, many home don’t sport exterior shutters, which leaves us exposed to window damage.  After an especially rough storm it’s always a good idea to take a close look at the windows around your home.  If any windows are broken, be cautious of glass shards in the area.  Look for these common signs of damage:

  • Shattered windows
  • Cracked glass
  • Broken panes
  • Damaged frame
  • Water on inside of sill
  • Torn weather-stripping

Preparing for a Storm

It’s always better to stay safe when a storm is approaching.  What can start out as a mild storm can quickly turn to flash-flooding or driving winds.  Preparing for the worst can often be the difference between life and death when it comes to the safety of your family.  If you aren’t in town when a storm is approaching, have a friend help you out and prepare your home for the worst.

According to stormdamagecenter.org:

To prepare for a storm, each family should have an emergency kit. Since you may have to evacuate on short notice, pack your emergency kit into backpacks and have them ready to go. Everyone in the family should know exactly where the emergency kits are located.

Your emergency kit should contain:

  • Battery powered flashlight
  • Portable battery powered radio
  • Extra batteries
  • List of emergency phone numbers
  • Prescriptions and essential medicines
  • First aid kit
  • Nonperishable emergency food
  • Bottled water (1 gallon per person, per day)
  • Non-electric can opener
  • Disposable camera
  • Credit cards and cash
  • Change of clothing
  • Sturdy shoes or boots
  • Important papers, identification and bank information

Remember that if anything does happen to your home, once water starts flowing in you should retreat to higher ground.  Avoid any rooms that have flooded and turn off power to those rooms to prevent risk of electric shock.  Flooding is a race against time, but your safety is more important.  You can call for professional drying and restoration services after you’ve ensured the safety of your family.  Stay safe out there!

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Paint Matching and Repair

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Paint Matching and RepairOne of the worst drawbacks to needing repairs after home damage (whether it was caused by water, smoke, or mold) is trying to match paint colors to repair walls.  It’s difficult enough to match colors on tiny repairs such as removed nails or scratches from wall hangings, furniture, or children, but replacing large patches of paint after repairing drywall in a public room is difficult.  For many people, they just can’t seem to get the color to match just right no matter how hard they try.  Color-matching is hard, and even experts can have difficulty with it.  Lighting, material, and paint-type can all affect the final color and leave you with something that matched right up until it dried.

How to Match Paint

The best way to match paint for your walls is to keep an original can of the paint.  If you painted the walls to begin with, keep an original color swatch or paint can from the initial project.  It’s far easier to match a paint sample when you can take the can in to a professional paint mixer to do the color matching in the store.  If you don’t have an original can, here’s what you should do:

Match the Type of Paint – Try to find out what type of base paint was used to paint your walls (or any object for that matter.  There are minor variations between acrylic, latex, oil, and water paints and if you want a perfect match you’ll need to make sure you’re using the same kind of paint.  Otherwise the final product will look different.

Keep Materials Similar – The most difficult color match for older cars is the bumper.  When cars switched to plastic bumpers, color matching became extremely difficult.  Paint colors dry in a different shade when applied to plastic as opposed to glass, metal, or even drywall.  If you can, take in a sample of the material you’re working with and paint it with the new paint to see if it dries the same color.  Always use the same material and never assume it will look the same on metal as it does on plastics or wood.

Color Guide Samples
Close-up of Color Swatches

Use Color Swatches – This is really the most important thing to keep in mind.  Bring in as many color swatches as you can get.  Compare the different colors to the paint on your walls and mark them down.  Do not ever buy paint after only a single comparison.  You want to test each swatch under different lighting conditions.  Ideally, compare the swatch to your paint during the middle of the day, at dusk, and after dark under the same type of light that you use in your home.  Light bulbs and sources matter for color display.  Most homes use 2700-3000K light bulbs which can change the color of the room when compared to the same wall in direct sunlight.

Once you’ve matched the paint to your wall, don’t just apply it.  Test it out on a few materials (preferably any rebuilding materials you have left from the reconstruction).  Be sure to clean the area, prime the wall for painting first, and then apply the paint evenly.  It’s important to let the paint dry thoroughly between coats.  Once you’re done, no one will know there was ever any damage to begin with.

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How to Fix Water Damaged Electrical Devices

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How to Fix Water Damaged Electrical DevicesLet’s be clear, if your home has flooded, turn off power to the room before entering or working on the room.  Switching the circuit breaker to the home is ideal as it will prevent you from accidental shock, death, or an electrical fire elsewhere in the home.  Always call professional in immediately.  The sooner you get a professional team in to help deal with the flooding and water damage, the less of an impact there will be on your life.  Water damage is a race against time and fast action is key.  This is true for smaller electrical devices as well, though you probably don’t need to call in a full team to fix a submerged MP3 player.

What to Do

If you find yourself with an electrical device that’s been submerged (anything from a phone to a laptop) you run the risk of permanent damage.  Fortunately, a little swim may not be the end of your device’s usefulness.  And our suggestion is not going to involve placing your phone in a bowl of rice (you’re better off letting the phone air dry under a fan).

Remove the Water

  • Start by disconnecting any power sources. Items that were plugged into a wall may have been saved by the circuit breaker or a GFCI outlet, but that isn’t always the case.  If the item has a battery, remove it immediately.  Always be cautious about how you disconnect electrical devices.  Do not stand in water or remove any cables with wet hands.  This is why we recommend turning off home breakers first.
  • Recycle the battery properly. Most batteries don’t handle water immersion well at all and should be recycled immediately.  FI the battery itself is bubbling, smoking, or melting don’t chance it.  Avoid handling the device if at all possible.  Replacing your phone or laptop is better than having to seek medical care later.
  • If by some miracle your device is still active, turn it off to prevent further damage.
  • Shake the device and rotate it until you’ve emptied all the water out of the device.
  • Disassemble the device if possible. Opening up the case will allow you to ensure that any excess water is gone and will give you easier access to the water sensitive components that need to dry.

Clean the Device

Especially if you’re dealing with acidic or caustic fluids such as fruit juice, you’ll want to clean out the device.  Even water, if it’s simply allowed to dry, could rust or corrode some internal components.

  • Disassemble the device completely and remove all connectors and plugs.
  • Place the device in a large container where it can be completely covered in isopropyl alcohol.  Use a concentration that’s at least 90% alcohol.  In an emergency use distilled or de-ionozied water.  The water option will take longer to dry and needs to be completely clean.  Do not use solvent solutions of any kind.
  • Use a small, soft brush to clean the logic board and components of any dust, debris, or other contaminants left behind.
  • Place the device under a desk lamp and allow it to dry.  A better method would be to place the device in front of a fan or use a hair dryer that’s set to ‘cool’ to dry out the device.
  • Once everything is completely dry, inspect the electronic board for signs of corrosion.

If everything checks out, reassemble the device and install a new battery.  Your device is now restored and ready to be used again!

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